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Remarkable private pictures of the Russian royal family found in a remote Urals museum

By 0 and 0 and 0
08 May 2013

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A zoo on the Tzar's estate would be closed after the 1917 revolution, but on that day the ruler wrote in his diary: 'Took the elephant to our pond with Alexei today and had fun watching him bath'. Picture: Zlatoust City History Museum

Another picture taken by the emperor dated 1916 shows Tsarevich Alexei - heir to an autocratic throne that would be abolished the following year - posing on a tree in winter with his beloved pet spaniel Joy. 

These images of the Russian royal family, captured in photographs taken by the Tsar himself or his children, mostly date from the years of the First World War, and some very soon before the Romanov dynasty crumbled, to be rapidly replaced by Communism. 

Found in a vault in Zlatoust, the album shows the private moments of the royals as the storm clouds gather over a dynasty that had ruled for more than three centuries. 

The smoking picture shows the youngest princess Anastasia, then 15, evidently imbibing from a cigarette with every encouragement from the Emperor and Autocrat of All the Russias. At the time there was not the same stigma attached to smoking and in fact a year earlier Anastasia had written to her father: 'I am sitting here with your old cigarette that you once gave me, and it is very tasty'.

She - like Alexei - would soon be central characters in the mystery of what became of the Romanov family. 

Remarkable private pictures of the Russian royal family

The smoking picture shows the youngest princess Anastasia, then 15, evidently imbibing from a cigarette with every encouragement from the Emperor and Autocrat of All the Russias. Pictures: Zlatoust City History Museum

For decades there were claims that the pair had survived the 1918 shooting that took the lives of Russia's last royal ruler, his former empress Alexandra, and their other three children, Olga, Tatiana and Maria. 

In the event, DNA evidence gathered from bones found near Yekaterinburg gives credible evidence that both were indeed killed in the shooting at the Ipatiev House, where the family were held by Lenin's forces. Anastasia and her brother were, however, buried separately from the rest of the family. 

The images of Alexei show a surprisingly strong boy given that his haemophilia saw him portrayed as sickly.

Indeed it was his serious illness that led his mother to rely on debauched holy man Grigory Rasputin, a relationship that did much to undermine royal credibility as the country became embroiled in an ugly war and revolutionary fervour. 

Remarkable private pictures of the Russian royal family


Remarkable private pictures of the Russian royal family


Remarkable private pictures of the Russian royal family

These images of the Russian royal family, captured in photographs taken by the Tsar himself or his children, mostly date from the years of the First World War, and some very soon before the Romanov dynasty crumbled, to be rapidly replaced by Communism. Pictures: Zlatoust City History Museum

In one of the earlier pictures in the set, the four carefree Romanov princesses are seen in 1914 enjoying the royal yacht 'Standart' on the Black Sea. 

The same year at Peterhof, the Tsar is shown relaxing on rocks in a picture almost certainly taken by one of his children using a camera he had imported from Britain. And in another picture, the Tsar, Alexei and the boy's tutor are seen walking an elephant near their palace in Tsarskoye Selo.

A zoo on the estate would be closed after the 1917 revolution, but on this day the ruler wrote in his diary: 'Took the elephant to our pond with Alexei today and had fun watching him bath'.

With war breaking out in 1914, the heir is shown in a military game with his tutor's two smaller children. In 1916, as he commanded Russian forces in the First World War, the Tsar is seen playing with his son on the banks of the Dnieper River close to Mogilyov. Here - where the smoking picture was taken - Russian military headquarters was based during the war, and Nicholas insisted on having his family around him. 

Other pictures show the older princesses visiting wounded soldiers in military hospitals. 

Remarkable private pictures of the Russian royal family


Remarkable private pictures of the Russian royal family


Private pictures of Russian Royal family, Grand Duchess Tatiana

Remarkable private pictures of the Russian royal family


Remarkable private pictures of the Russian royal family

Top to bottom: Grand Duchess Olga and Tatiana, Grand Duchess Olga pictured looking through family album; Grand Duchess Tatiana; clockwise Grand Duchess Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia; Tsarina Alexandra Fyodorovna on board of Russian Royal Yacht. Pictures: Zlatoust City History Museum

The images have been released in a year which marks the 400th anniversary of the Romanov's coming to power in Russia. 

'The emperor was very fond of photography and passed his passion for it to his wife Alexandra and children,' said Milena Bratukhina, an historian at the Zlatoust Museum where the album was hidden in Soviet times.

It remains unclear how it got to Zlatoust.  One theory is that the album - which has 200-plus pictures, many never seen before - was taken from the royals by a revolutionary called Dmitry Chudinov, nicknamed Kassian, who was an escort when the exiled royals were brought westward from Tobolsk in Siberia to Yekaterinburg on their final move before they were shot. 

He was from Zlatoust and it is known that he appropriated some royal possessions. The album could have been among them.

Remarkable private pictures of the Russian royal family


Remarkable private pictures of the Russian royal family


Remarkable private pictures of the Russian royal family


Private pictures from Russian Royal family album, Tsar Nikolai II

Comments (80)

I will try to show those readers who have interest in what I have been saying by mentioning that Nicholas 11, first cousin was Kaiser Wilhelm 11 of Germany, been that they shared a German Russian Romanov bloodline both Nicholas 11 and Wilhelm 11 inherited the same DNA visible markers from birth as did both of their sons. In the case of Nicholas daughter Anastasia she too inherited the same.

The same blood line leads back to certain royals within GB butt that's another story of facts.


Frederic von Ebert
nelson.manor.house@gmail.com
Frederic von Ebert, Vancouver Canada
18/08/2015 01:36
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I have in my possession a photo of Czar Nicholas 11 and his tall uncle a grand duke that can be seen on this group of photos but in the ones I have both Czar Nicholas 11 and his uncle the Grand Duke show identical visible DNA ancestor markers,

The interesting part of the mentioned same ancestor DNA visible markers show the royal Romanoff gene is still been inherited in a few royal whose lineage were related.

Frederic von Ebert

nelson.manor.house@gmail.com
Frederic von Ebert, Vancouver Canada
16/08/2015 00:34
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In my previous comments about certain DNA royal gene marker on Czar Nicholas 11 and his son Alexie inherited at birth as mentioned can be provided but now I have found Anastasia bottom right hand photo shows she too inherited the visible royal gene markers. If on would care to see the facts spoken about Anastasia's picture write to Frederic at nelson.manor.house@gmail and I Will send you photos of the inherited royal gene DNA markers.

Frederic von Ebert
Frederic von Ebert, Vancouver Canada
14/08/2015 01:09
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My last posted comments of this day I failed to mention one of the 4 photos in private photos of Czar Nicholas 11 and his family where it shows four of the Romanov Princesses. the bottom right photo I believe of Anastasia showed she too inherited the visible royal markers as her father and brother so inherited as well others mentioned.

Frederic von Ebert
nelson.manor.house@gmail.com
Frederic von Ebert, Vancouver Canada
12/08/2015 04:04
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On my last two posting comments I speak of a rare visible gene appearing at birth on Czar Nicholas 11 and his son Alexi as well as a few other related royals now and then.(photo poof available). I am not a royal nor claim such but I too inherited the same as did my child from me and my grandchild from her mother. I'm advised by geneticists to inherit such visible genetic marker of same design one would share the same ancestor . For those royals who then and now continue to share the same as I, the difference is we share the same ancestor but they are of royal linage and I am not. As one geneticist said what we share is a complex family line inheritance

Frederic von Ebert
nelson.manor.house@gmail.com
Frederic von Ebert, Vancouver BC
12/08/2015 01:20
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Yesterday, I mentioned certain rare royal DNA markers of the past Romanov Royals inherited. such as Czar Nicholas 11 a a couple of his children, continues to descend in new born royals even today



Those who show the same DNA blood line markers today from birth have the right of claim to true royal Romanov claimants. Photos of proof are available to prove facts spoken about..including one of Peter The great showing the same..





Frederic



nelson.manor.house@gmail.com

Frederic, Vancouver BC
08/08/2015 00:38
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The new found photos of Czar Nicholas 11 and some of his family are interesting and informative as fact go. One thing I did note is one of the Czar and Czarina daughter appears to have inherited the same royal visible DNA markers as her Father and Brother so inherited. Such DNA markers descended in past related royals then and now.

Frederic
nelson.manor,house@gmail.com
Frederic von Ebert, Vancouver Canada
07/08/2015 02:36
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I inherited some similar pictures from my maternal grandparents who left Russia just before the revolution. They are so sad in the light of later events. I cannot judge the rights and wrongs of the royal family but I do know - from my relatives still living in Russia - that life under the communist regime was far worse than anything they experienced under the Romanovs.Пусть Бог благословит Россию-матушку и всех тех, кто умер. May God bless Mother Russia and all those who died.
Peter Blackmore (anglicised from the original)., County Durham. UK.
19/05/2015 18:18
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My maternal grandfather used to tell me about the Romanovs. And from what I have read, Nicholas did not want to be Tsar but he was next in line whether he liked it or not. It is said that all he wanted to do was to be a farmer. Poor man and family. Russia is so huge and diverse, how could one man possibly look after all of this country. Catherine the Great tried to to get representatives from every area to come to meetings so that everyone could express their views, but that soon died out. I absolutely love the photos and feel so sad for the awful tragedies that occurred.
Ottie Oswald, Wangaratta, Victoria, Australia
30/03/2015 13:15
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Yvette who was your phone relation to the tsar? Just I haven't found any that went to south Africa most went on go live in UK, France, Russia or Canada... Im really intrigued by this family and royalty.
stace, uk
09/03/2015 03:07
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It is no doubt that Nicholas was a tyrant of the worst kind. He sent thousands to their deaths, and never bliked an eye. It is sad that his children had to die for his atrocities. Russia was and is much better off without the imperial family, after all with out Russia we would have lost the second war, and be living under a dictatorship WORSE than some we have now.
Willhelm Kazautzki, Kelowna B.C. Canada
08/03/2015 09:39
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I love the historic pictures of Romanovs. We had numerous members of the connection in Palm Beach years ago. I knew them, particularly family of Paul Romanov Illinsky. I served as usher for his funeral at Bethesda-by-the-Sea Episcopal Church. Also, I have grateful memories of the Count Paul de Rodiansko and wife. I am grateful to messrs Putin and Medvedev for their gratitude of the great Russian past and diligent restoration of so many beautiful churches, palaces, etc. I hope that I can go there again.
John L. Lott, WPB, Fla., USA
27/02/2015 00:47
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It is sad that this family had to be murdered and with so many other innocent people from Russia, Ukraine, the then Czechoslavakia, Poland etc. Pure Evil, Greed and Power was the order of the day. My grandmother's mother was related to the Czar (being his sister) but she married and moved to the then Czechoslavakia (now Slovakia), I was born there but we emigrated in 1969 to South Africa when the communists invaded Czechoslavakia (now Slovakia). My father was approached by the communist and they told him to join them and that if he didn't then bad things would happen to his daughter (which was me, I was one years old), a lot of his friends got executed in front of his eyes, he was lucky to have survived, he then packed a suitcase, took my mom and me and we escaped and caught a train to Austria before they closed the borders, we had to remain in Austria until we were accepted here in South Africa, it was a difficult time for my parents leaving behind there entire family, they had to live out of one suitcase in Austria, and I got extremely sick in the cold weather, so I take my hat off to my parents for being so brave and for being my hero's and for not giving in to communism no matter what!!!!!!!
Yvette, , South Africa
06/01/2015 21:06
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Pure Evil to what had happened to the Czar, his family, holly Russia. A once beautiful and rich country destroyed by greed and pure evil. tens of millions of innocent Russians murdered by these communists. So many other millions of innocent people from Ukraine, Poland and other countries murdered by the hands of these communist bastards.

These photos are very beautiful. Thank you for sharing, True mother Russia will live on forever. The memories will continue to be past on for generations, the memories will never die.
Tatiana, Australia
02/01/2015 19:06
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Pure Evil to what had happened to the Czar, his family, holly Russia. A once beautiful and rich country destroyed by greed and pure evil. tens of millions of innocent Russians murdered by these communists. So many other millions of innocent people from Ukraine, Poland and other countries murdered by the hands of these communist bastards.
These photos are very beautiful. Thank you for sharing, True mother Russia will live on forever. The memories will continue to be past on for generations, the memories will never die.
Tatiana, Australia
02/01/2015 18:59
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